1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to articles of clothing and more particular to articles of clothing to be worn about the head.
2. State of the Art
Masks have been used in the past to protect a user's face from inclement weather. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,300,240 (Edwards) discloses a closed-cell neoprene mask which may be worn about the face to protect the user from adverse weather including wind, cold, rain, snow and the like. Gator Sports, Inc. of Salt Lake City, Utah also manufactures and sells a "Gator Face Protector," which is made from neoprene and positioned about the face to protect the user from adverse weather.
Other articles of clothing have been devised to protect the face from inclement weather. For example, a "balaclava" head protector is made for positioning over the head of the user. A balaclava is formed with a scarf portion that extends directly downward. It also has an opening that extends in height from the forehead to the chin area and in width the entire width of the face. U.S. Pat. No. 1,023,677 (Pass) shows a hood which is placed about the head. The hood is designed with an opening at the top and a fastening structure along the rear. Appropriate apertures are provided for the nose and eyes. Other articles of clothing include ear protectors, neck scarfs or "gaitors" and combination mask and scarf structures such as the GATOR DUO face protector manufactured by Gator Sports, Inc. of Salt Lake City, Utah and a COMBOSCARF sold by Seirus Innovative Accessories, Inc. of Salt Lake City, Utah. A combination mask and scarf structure is also disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,214,804 (Carey, et al.).
Other head and face protecting devices are known including those shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,731,135 (Scott), 5,766,963 (Murray), 1,309,783 (Slawin), 3,271,781 (Sontag, et al.), 3,665,517 (Hyman).